In 2008 the British Council launched Challenge Europe - the European element of its global climate programme, Low Carbon Future. Challenge Europe is a three-year campaign that aspires to make a definite and lasting impact on the climate change debate and is ambitious in its aim to accelerate change to a Low Carbon Future.

In 2008, Challenge Europe will be taking place in 15 countries across Europe: the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) Hungary, Ireland (the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland), Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine.

In each of the fifteen countries 15-20 young influencers, aged 18-35, will work together as Climate Advocates to unearth new ways to reduce carbon use or utilise methods already found but not yet properly exploited. Each group offers a broad representation of skills, attitudes and ideas from all walks of life, working across disciplines to seek, gather, develop and then refine scores of ideas to agree just three concrete concepts. These concepts, they believe, will have real potential to bring about a Low Carbon Future through changes to public policy, business practice or public behaviour. The outcome will be a network of about two hundred bold and young influencers working together to develop forty-two tangible ideas.

The groups will pitch these ideas to broader publics, including eminent experts, philanthropists, commercial organisations and entrepreneurs across a range of fields in an effort to turn the ideas into reality.

Throughout the programme, the British Council will actively partner with a number of organisations across Europe spanning all sectors; including the corporate, non-governmental, environmental and academic worlds. Through these partnerships, the British Council will support these young Europeans on their quest, offering them access to some of the best minds in Europe through established networks of expert groups and individuals. They will delve into current knowledge, merge new thinking with old and formulate concepts that will fundamentally change the way we use carbon. Their ideas could address how individuals make a real difference, how businesses put low carbon initiatives into practice – absolutely anything that will accelerate change to a Low Carbon Future.

The philosophy of the campaign is simple: to create momentum through collaboration, innovation, energy, drive, passion, understanding and knowledge-sharing.

For further information on Challenge Europe project please contact
Küllike Tohver, British Council Estonia director via e-mail: Kyllike.Tohver@britishcouncil.ee or by calling our office at +372 625 7788.